Henry could not stay any longer. He turned away quickly and almost ran up the beach. "Hilloa," Ninian shouted after him, "where are you going?" He stopped for a moment and looked back, wondering what excuse he should make for his running away. "I ... I'm just going to see if ... if Peggy's all right!" _"She's_ all right," Ninian replied. "I think I'll just go all the same," said Henry. "But you'll miss it all," Mary called to him. "I'll ... I'll come back presently," he answered. 7 He had finished a game of cards with Mary and then Mary had gone off to bed. She had kissed her mother and Ninian, and then she held out her hand to him and said "Good-night, Quinny!" and he said "Good-night, Mary!" and held the door open for her so that she might pass out. "Let's go out in a boat to-morrow," she said. "We'll go to the Smugglers' Cave...." "Yes, let's," he answered. When she had gone, Mrs. Graham called him to her. "Come and sit here," she said, pointing to a footstool at her feet. Ninian was trying to solve a chess problem and was deaf to the whole world.... "I suppose you didn't like to see the fish being gutted, Henry?" Mrs. Graham said. He glanced up at her quickly. He had not spoken of his feeling to any of them because he was ashamed of it. "It's namby-pamby of me," he had said to himself. He flushed as he looked up, fearing that she must despise him for his weakness, and he almost denied that he had had any feeling at all about it; but he did not deny it. "I couldn't bear it, Mrs. Graham," he said quickly in a low voice. "I felt I should be ill if I stayed there any longer!" "I used to feel like that," she said, patting his shoulder, "but you soon get used to it. The fishermen aren't really cruel. They are the kindest men I know!" Ninian, having failed to solve his chess problem, got up from the table and stretched himself and yawned. "I'm going to bed, Quinny," he said. "Are you coming?" Henry rose and shook hands with Mrs. Graham. "Good-night," he said. "Good-night, Henry!" she replied. "I hope you'll sleep well." And then she turned to kiss Ninian, who pushed a sleepy face against hers. 8 In the morning, there were fried plaice for breakfast, and Henry ate two of them. "These are some of the fish you saw on the beach last night," said Mrs. Graham. "Oh, yes," said Henry, reaching for the toast, and swallowing a mouthful of the fish. "And jolly nice, too!" FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: Dog-fish.] THE THIRD CHAPTER 1